Please help with Stumps purchase.

Hello everyone,

Been browsing the forum for a while but am a new member. Wanting to pull the trigger on a Stumps... most likely the Baby XL but also looking at the Junior, and am trying to gather info before the large purchase. I’ve been using the search function to do my homework but I feel like a lot of the info is from before 2017. I’ve compiled a list of questions for them, but I was hoping folks around here could weigh in so I have some unbiased viewpoints. Any insight would be great!

1. I mostly cook for the wife and I, but want capacity to cook for 100 people. The junior is only 2.5” wider and 3 vs 4 shelves. Can it really hold that much more?

2. Still worried about fitting a full packer 15# brisket on a 19x21” shelf (Baby XL). Padge31 says he thinks the 4 in the BabyXL is doable, but anyone have any pics?

3. What brand thermometer in the door? Easy to swap out for a Tel-Tru?

4. Diffuser system in JR but not in the Baby XL? The JR is only 2.5 inches wider...? Are temps more even in junior?

5. I’ve seen complaints about ash “leaking” into the cook chamber and related greece fire issues. I got the impression the bottom on the Baby XL was recently redesigned. Anyone able to confirm this?

6. Lump charcoal okay? I got the impression charcoal chute was recently redesigned to help with bridging. Does less ash with lump help prevent grease fires? Does it mean less wood smoke flavor enters chamber?

7. Problem with rain getting through smoke stack? The covers over the smoke stacks on the Lang’s looks nice...

Hopefully none of this is a repeat. Again, any info would be very much appreciated. Thank you!

Hurricanedavid, thank you for the info. Interesting about adding the plate. I don’t think there is a perfect smoker-it’s just a matter of finding what quirks are acceptable! I wonder than that the Junior is maybe more even with that diffuser in there. The videos from Hector’s Smoke House on YouTube are pretty good but I wish I could see one in person.

Sid Post, I’ll admit there are a lot out there I don’t know about. Had to look up what an IVC is. I’ll look at them some more. You have a particular recommendation?

I’ve been living in an apartment where only propane is allowed. I’ve been able to sneak in a Traeger I think because there is an electric chord out the bottom. But I’ll be moving into a house this summer and want a real smoker. I like my sleep so a set-and-forget system would be nice. Been looking at Stumps vs. Backwoods vs. Deep South vs. Myron and just seem to keep coming back to the stumps. I like for long cooks being able to add charcoal to the chute without opening up the cooking chamber, not needing a water tray, the thick insulation and the ability to adjust the smoke in the cook.

SmittyJonz said:

or an Assassin or a Deep South or a T&K........

Click to expand...

Wow those T&K gravity feeds look nice! Hadn’t heard of those thanks for the tip! Will be looking at those a bit more.